THE PARADISE OF HEARTS

From "The Faerie Queene"

Thus having past all peril, I was come

Within the compass of that Island's space;

The which did seem, unto my simple doom,

The only pleasant and lightful place

That ever trodden was of footing's trace;

For all that nature by her mother wit

Could frame in earth, and form of substance base

Was there; and all that nature did omit,

Art, playing second nature's part, supplied it.

****************************************

In such luxurious plenty of all pleasure,

It seemed a second paradise to guess,

So lavishly enricht with Nature's treasure,

That if the happy souls, which do possess

Th' Elysian fields and live in lasting bliss,

Should happen this with living eye to see,

They soon would loath their lesser happiness,

And wish to life return,'d again to be,

That in this joyous place they mote have joyance free.

**********************************************

And all without were walks and alleys dight

With divers trees enrang'd in even ranks;

And here and there were pleasant arbors pight,

And shady seats, and sundry flowring banks,

To sit and rest the walkers' weary shanks:

And therein thousand pairs of lovers walkt,

Praising their God, and yelding him great thanks,

Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt,

Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt.

All these together by themselves did sport

Their spotless pleasures and sweet loves content.

But, far away from these, another sort

Of lovers linked in true heart's consent;

Which loved not as these for like intent,

But on chaste virtue grounded their desire,

Far from all fraud or fained blandishment,

Which, in their spirits kindling zealous fire,

Brave thoughts and noble deeds did evermore aspire.

Such were great Hercules and Hyllus dear;

True Jonathan and David trusty tried;

Stout Theseus and Pirithoüs his fere;

Plyades and Ortestes by his side;

Mild Titus and Gessippus wthout pride;

Damon and Pythias, whom death could not sever:-

All these, and all that ever had been tied

In bands of frienship, there did live for ever;

Whose lives although decay'd, tet loves decayed never.

Edmund Spenser